Mike Scioscia had said at various times throughout the winter that the Angels would implement a closer by committee, using Jose Arredondo, Scot Shields, and Brian Fuentes to close games. Beat writers and fans, however, essentially ignored Scioscia, choosing instead to believe that he was simply being diplomatic or purposefully deceptive.

Last night, Scot Shields secured a four-out save over the Red Sox, a team against which he has previously struggled. Scioscia, apparently, wasn’t bluffing; he’ll be matching the closer to the situation this season. You fantasy folks may want to consider picking up Scot Shields….he’s going to get some save opportunties this season.

As for Fuentes, he’s shown diminished velocity thus far and is almost certainly reeling from Wednesday night’s blown save. Friday night seemed the perfect time to, as they say, get back on that horse. The fact that he wasn’t out there would seem to indicate that Scioscia is truly committed to the committee, if you will.